A former employee of a Louisiana day care has been arrested for child abuse following an investigation into the mistreatment of children at the facility.
Another former employee sent videos of the abuse to local TV station News 10 KLFY, showing child-care workers throwing slices of cheese at toddlers’ faces, taping them to a chair and intentionally frightening them to the point of tears.
“We do have the videos, and they’re very disturbing to watch,” said Eunice police chief Kyle LeBouef. “An innocent child shouldn’t have to go through that. Especially if someone put that child in someone else’s care.”
Police apprehended Alyssa Eve Dupre, 23, from Oakdale, on a felony warrant. She is facing six counts of cruelty to juveniles from her time as a former employee at Pumpkin Patch Daycare. Lebouef confirmed that the investigation is ongoing, and additional arrests are likely.
The video sent to local media is reportedly about two-and-a-half years old, but the chief emphasized that that won’t hinder the pursuit of additional charges, and there’s no statute of limitations.
“It’s by our understanding this could possibly be quite old. But that really doesn’t matter when it comes to criminal charges,” Lebouef said.
State authorities have taken the initiative to conduct their own investigation, KLFY reports.
According to records from the Louisiana Department of Education, the day care has been subjected to 15 inspections. Among these inspections, nine were found to have deficiencies.
The most recent inspection, in October 2022, did not reveal any deficiencies. However, during the inspection in the year prior, the records indicated that the day care was cited for failing to meet the requirements of maintaining indoor and outdoor areas free of hazards.
Last July, all staff members were cited for not having CPR certification as required when on the center’s premises and those with accessibility to children.
However, in July 2017, the facility was found to have multiple deficiencies, including a problematic behavior management policy. During an incident, a staff member reportedly used an improper discipline method by restraining a 3-year-old child in a high chair.
A child was brought in from the playground after a fight with another child. Inside, the child kicked, spat and threw himself on the cots. According to staff interviews, she placed him in a high chair for about three minutes to prevent the child from harming himself.
The child continued to push down on the high chair tray and tried to free himself. The staff member was concerned that he might overturn the chair, so she took him out and held him on her lap, using one arm to prevent him from hitting her.
In Dupre’s case, police said she was caught on video throwing slices of cheese at small children that covered their tiny faces. They screamed in terror as Dupre laughed and clapped her hand in glee. She was released from the St. Landry Parish jail on $18,000 bond.
According to Adriana Rasmussen, whose family member worked at the facility, abuse has been rampant at the day care for years. Rasmussen added that her relative left the job because of all the abuse she witnessed and claims that the cameras were often turned off.
“There was a lot of mistreatment of kids. The workers, the staff would put their hands on people’s kids, and she worked there years ago,” Rasmussen said.
